Photo mystery solved: 'Angelic' protester a nurse from New York

  • 12/07/2016
(Reuters)
(Reuters)

The previously unknown woman seen being arrested in a now iconic photograph during a Black Lives Matter protest has been identified.

In the photo, the woman stands proudly angelic with her arms crossed as two heavily armoured riot policeman rush to arrest her. The image went viral, with many around the world wondering who the woman is.

She can now be revealed as 28-year-old Ieshia Evans, a mother and nurse from New York City.

Ms Evans spent 24 hours in custody before being released and is now recovering in a hotel room before travelling home.

Friends of Ms Evans said she had travelled all the way to the protest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where African-American man Alton Sterling had been shot dead by police, because she wanted a better future for her five-year-old son.

Photo mystery solved: 'Angelic' protester a nurse from New York

(Iesha Evans - Facebook)

Ms Evans was one of more than 100 people arrested in the protest on Sunday (NZ time), and is likely facing a charge of obstructing a highway.

Newshub.